Hotshots down Stallions in AAF action

12 February 2019

Despite major concerns about his National Football League future coming out of Penn State, Hackenberg was taken in the second round by the New York Jets. If the Penn State alum had been selected with a pick more commensurate with his talent-say, a late third-day pick or undrafted free-agent status-the fact that he never threw a regular-season pass for the Jets wouldn't be such a big deal.

Gang Green traded him to the Oakland Raiders in May for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.

The Alliance of American Football posted solid television ratings for its first-ever game broadcast last Saturday night, drawing the same audience as an National Basketball Association battle between two of the league's top stars. In the first half of their matchup with the Birmingham Iron, Hackenberg went just 3-for-11 passing for just 20 yards and an interception.

Johnson, who played with Harris from 2012-2014, led Arizona with seven tackles and one interception on Sunday. This should only improve the quality of those types of players going forward. The Express offense must sort itself out soon, as they next face the upstart Arizona Hotshots.

The debut of the AAF delivered a 2.1 overnight rating on CBS Saturday night, the highest for a non-NFL pro football game since a 2004 Arena Football League telecast on NBC (2.5).